The Moroccan delegation competing in the 2016 summer Olympics arrived in Brazil last week to prepare for the kingdom's 13th appearance at the international games. The team of 51 athletes will be competing in 13 events, Aug. 5-17.

At the London Olympics in 2012, Abdalaati Iguider won Morocco’s only medal, a bronze, in the men’s 1,500 meters, and in Rio, Moroccans are betting on the country's track and field athletes to secure places on the podium to add to the 22 medals Moroccans have so far won in the history of the games.

The kingdom's track and field team consists of 18 runners, including Iguider, who will be competing in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. The southern Moroccan holds the year’s third best time in the 1,500 meters. Iguider will be competing against Kenya's Asbel Kiprop and Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi, winner of the 1,500 meters at the 2012 Olympics.

During the July 28 ceremony to introduce the Moroccan delegation, Abdeslam Ahizoune, head of the Moroccan Sports Union, expressed his optimism for good performances by the team despite the athletes’ relative youth and inexperience. Only Iguider has had extensive experience in major international competition.